Olympic 1500m gold medalist Cole Hocker used to think differently about treadmills. “Usually in the past, I avoided treadmill runs, even if it was freezing cold outside. I would usually opt for outdoors,” he says. That changed when he started using the KICKR RUN.
The RunFree Mode Difference
“So one of my first impressions of the KICKR RUN was how natural it felt… with the RunFree Mode. It’s an experience that I haven’t had on another treadmill,” Hocker explains.
“The mode is all about [helping] find the pace that you’re running … if you run to the front of it, it speeds up. If you run to the back just slightly, it slows down. You can kind of find that sweet spot.”
“I just run however I feel like running, and then the treadmill finds me,” he adds.
This matters for varied workouts. “The ability to speed up and even do something like a stride and then settle back into an easy pace, it was pretty seamless in its ability to track me, and it just adds to that natural feeling.”
Surface and Speed Capabilities
“With the actual tread itself, it’s always a big point on treadmills and figuring out, if it’s too firm or too soft or too bouncy and, as soon as I got on, I knew it was the perfect combination of all those.”
The treadmill’s speed capability matters for his training. “With the ability to go down to four minute mile pace for someone like me doing some quicker work on a treadmill is important. The ability to have it get there and to feel natural and smooth and it’s not banging around or anything. It really feels perfect.”
Impact on Training
“Having a treadmill like the KICKR RUN is a necessity for me just because of how good I feel coming off of it,” Hocker explains.
“I get off of it feeling like I ran outside, and my body was moving naturally for the hour run that I did on there. And that was really a game changer because for me, it’s all about getting to that next session, feeling as close to 100% as I can.”
He contrasts this with other treadmills, where a lot of the time you feel a little sore getting off of them.
Running Free: From Training to Gold
When asked what “run free” means to him, Hocker’s answer reveals why the right training tools matter. “I think run free for me… what comes to mind is that for a flat and a 1500 where I’ve forgotten about the training I’ve done, I’ve forgotten about where I am and what this race means, and I’m just truly racing. Yeah, I feel like I’m running free.”
That feeling delivered Olympic gold. “And definitely the Paris 1500 was one of my most vivid memories and examples of that where nothing else matters other than running in that moment.”
For Hocker, running free isn’t just about race day. It’s about every training session that builds toward those moments. When your treadmill runs feel as natural as running outside, when technology disappears and lets you simply run, you create the consistency that makes championship moments possible. The tools matter because they enable the work. And the work, done right, sets you free.
